Sabres announce Jarmo Kekalainen Hired as Senior Advisor

[dudacek]

36 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I keep wondering if Dahlin has spoken up to Adams about guys who are buying in and guys who are in it for their stats. Not saying that's Peterka, just a thought. 

 

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

You have no real idea what the organization’s feelings are with regards to JJP. Maybe this is Dahlin’s “Drury/Satan” moment.

 

I think we sometimes focus too much on our priorities and biases and look past what they are actually saying.

Lindy says it took him a few months of being inside the organization to determine that a number of players were not what he perceived them to be from the outside.

That should serve as a warning about our own perceptions.

I think that is why Dylan Cozens was traded. And I think that is what will be behind what happens over the next 6 weeks.

[Taro T]

13 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

 

I think we sometimes focus too much on our priorities and biases and look past what they are actually saying.

Lindy says it took him a few months of being inside the organization to determine that a number of players were not what he perceived them to be from the outside.

That should serve as a warning about our own perceptions.

I think that is why Dylan Cozens was traded. And I think that is what will be behind what happens over the next 6 weeks.

Know we won't ever hear, but would be VERY interested in knowing what the players think about yesterday's announcement.

[Jorcus]

57 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

 

I think we sometimes focus too much on our priorities and biases and look past what they are actually saying.

Lindy says it took him a few months of being inside the organization to determine that a number of players were not what he perceived them to be from the outside.

That should serve as a warning about our own perceptions.

I think that is why Dylan Cozens was traded. And I think that is what will be behind what happens over the next 6 weeks.

 

I think the perception vs reality is true. It gets amplified when making trades. Bringing in Stahl and Jarmo at least gives some personal insight to some of the existing players in the NHL. Personal contact with players leads to understanding of what they are and what they can do. Keep in mind these players come from many different cultures and express themselves in different ways. Peterka on the ice comes across as aloof. Some may read that as disgruntled but it could just be who he is and have no bearing on how hard he is playing or how determined he is.   

[LTS]

7 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

I don’t know how I should feel about this.

i could be my normal smart ass self and post a meme asking everyone else how I should feel, but alas, the teams 14 season run has even gutted me of any real humor on the situation.

I’ll just take the same approach I’ve had to take these past 14 seasons, wait and see how it all pans out. Am I more hopeful now than before? Not really. Have I fallen further in to the pit of hockey hell then before? Not really. I exist in my Sabres fandom, therefore I am. That’s all I got.

And that's okay. One of the big problems with today's instant connection society is that we are flooded with information. Information that we feel we have to fully digest and response to in an instant less it be shoved aside by the next bit of information that has to be processed.

Society wants it's information reported, analyzed, and resolved in 5 minutes or less.

It's okay to take the "wait and see" attitude.  The very nature of news like this is, "we'll have to wait and see". 

[dudacek]

Speaking of misperceptions, here's an interesting one about Kevyn Adams:

He's creeping into the top half in terms of the most experienced GMs in the league.

• Ken Holland 28 years (hired with 37 years experience as a senior executive, played 4 NHL games)
• * Doug Armstrong 21 years (hired with 17 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Don Waddell 17 years (hired with 24 years experience as a senior executive, played 1 game in the NHL)
• Steve Yzerman 14 years (hired with 13 years experience as a senior executive, played 1514 games in the NHL)
• Stan Bowman 14 years (hired with 17 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Kevin Cheveldayoff 14 years (hired with 2 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Jim Nill 12 years (hired with 19 years experience as a senior executive, played 524 games in the NHL)
• Brad Treliving 11 years (hired with 17 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Don Sweeney 10 years (hired with 11 years experience as a senior executive, played 1115 games in the NHL)
• * Julien Brisebois 8 years (hired with 14 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Kyle Dubas 7 years (hired with 9 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Kelly McCrimmon 6 years (hired with 3 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Bill Guerin 6 years (hired with 4 years experience as a senior executive, played 1263 games in the NHL))
• Bill Zito 5 years (hired with 7 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Tom Fitzgerald 5 years (hired with 13 years experience as a senior executive, played 1097 games in the NHL)
• Bill Armstrong 5 years (hired with 10 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Kevyn Adams 5 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 540 games in the NHL)
• * Chris Drury 4 years (hired with 5 years experience as a senior executive, played 892 games in the NHL)
• Pat Verbeek 3 1/2 years (hired with 10 years experience as a senior executive, played 1424 games in the NHL)
• Patrik Allvin 3 1/2 years (hired with 4 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Kyle Davidson 3 1/2 years (hired with 2 1/2 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Kent Hughes 3 1/2 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Chris McFarland 3 years, (hired with 21 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Jason Botterill 3 years (hired with 19 years experience as a senior executive, played 88 games in the NHL)
• Mike Grier 3 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 1060 games in the NHL)
• * Danny Briere 2 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 973 games in the NHL)
• * Craig Conroy 2 years (hired with 9 years experience as a senior executive, played 1009 games in the NHL)
• * Barry Trotz 2 years (hired with 1 year experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL but coached 23 years)
• * Steve Staios 2 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 1001 games in the NHL)
• * Eric Tulsky 1 year (hired with 7 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Chris Patrick 1 year (hired with 9 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Matthieu Darche no experience (hired with 7 years experience as a senior executive, played 250 games in the NHL)
• * internal hires

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

 

 

I think we sometimes focus too much on our priorities and biases and look past what they are actually saying.

Lindy says it took him a few months of being inside the organization to determine that a number of players were not what he perceived them to be from the outside.

That should serve as a warning about our own perceptions.

I think that is why Dylan Cozens was traded. And I think that is what will be behind what happens over the next 6 weeks.

Well that's true and we see on ice performance but you have to be inside to see attitude and work habits and desire to win, how coachable they are and how receptive they are to learning and adapting. Many personality quirks and nuances. 

The thing you'd have to ask yourself though is if it took Lindy 6 months wtf are these entrenched assistants doing? Shouldn't they have been able to tell him Day 1 who was who or what? and shouldn't they have already told Adams? 

My standing issue (and I know I am not alone on this) is when they decided to hire Lindy, if it truly meant a changing of anything and turning any sort of power over to Lindy why oh why did they not clear out all the assistants and let Lindy hire his own? That would have been real change. As is, hiring Lindy really just feels like a marketing move to sell tickets on hope of a return to the Lindy era of old. 

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

I keep wondering if Dahlin has spoken up to Adams about guys who are buying in and guys who are in it for their stats. Not saying that's Peterka, just a thought. 

I’m sure the coach has a feel for which players are buying in to the program and which are not. And I’m sure he has communicated his thoughts on that issue when trades are discussed.

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, Dr. Who said:

What I find offensive, really, is the presumption by certain folks that there is somehow an irrational zeal to be disappointed and angry with the franchise. It’s such a ridiculous position, since only someone deeply committed to the team would continue to care about it and follow what is happening to them after the last fourteen years of misery. To those who malign the fan base for protesting the truly historic ineptitude of the Pegula ownership, the reaction to this hire is provisional, because there is no basis for trust in the leadership that has been consistent in failure, if not always in the tactics pursued.

At least this is undeniably an outside, veteran voice that is connected, and mature. It’s been lacking from the inception of TP’s time as captain of the ship he’s run aground. Most everyone is hopeful and glad to see at least a glimmer of responsibility. The complainers who repeatedly blame the fans should note that when there is a reasonable action, the response is affirmative. No one is eagerly waiting for the opportunity to bash the move.

Agree.   They can call Jarmo a "Senior Advisor" to the GM, but he is an NHL GM,  and he wants another shot.  He is both more proven and more qualified, than LaFontaine/Murray,  Boterill, and Adams were when they given their shots. 

Pegula hired experience and energy with this guy.   I wish him the best.  We really need someone to save the day.  

 

 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

I’m sure the coach has a feel for which players are buying in to the program and which are not. And I’m sure he has communicated his thoughts on that issue when trades are discussed.

And the assistant coaches that had been around these players for 2 or more years (only Appert and Ruff hadn't been in Buffalo that long recently) apparently thought it was a good idea to give Cozens and Samuelsson A's.  Quite certain Ruff regretted those decisions and could've used better input on that front.

Realize you're talking about Ruff, but there are some guys in that coaching room that don't really get it.  

But directly to the Satan issue, Ruff never pushed to get him off the roster.  Nolan benched him.  Nolan playing Ed Ronan over him was one of several items that Muckler and he did not see eye to eye on.  But a few years later Drury pushed to get Satan off the roster and Regier listened to him and the team went to the Eastern Conference Finals the next 2 years.  (Yes, correlation, not causation; but Ruff apparently didn't see just how much of a negative energy Miro brought to the room.  He didn't get moved out until Drury made a point of it.  Dahlin, Tuch, Thompson, Zucker, and Greenway should all have input (not necessarily have that input followed, but they should have input) into which guys do truly pull their weight and which ones (if any) might be addition by subtraction).

Edited Saturday at 08:28 PM by Taro T

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, LTS said:

And that's okay. One of the big problems with today's instant connection society is that we are flooded with information. Information that we feel we have to fully digest and response to in an instant less it be shoved aside by the next bit of information that has to be processed.

Society wants it's information reported, analyzed, and resolved in 5 minutes or less.

It's okay to take the "wait and see" attitude.  The very nature of news like this is, "we'll have to wait and see". 

You are singing my tune.  

I like things slower, more thought out, and with some contingency planning.  

 

[nfreeman]

Serious question:  was hiring a real, experienced NHL GM as a senior adviser KA's idea?  Or did TP give him an ultimatum?

It seems pretty unlikely that it was KA's idea -- when does a GM ever want to bring in a guy to look over his shoulder, especially when the GM has overseen a crappy team for years and the new guy is an obviously strong candidate to replace him?

If that's right, and it was done at TP's instruction, it at least shows that TP's Sabres heart is still beating.

[Pimlach]

9 minutes ago, Taro T said:

And the assistant coaches that had been around these players for 2 or more years (only Appert and Ruff hadn't been in Buffalo that long recently) apparently thought it was a good idea to give Cozens and Samuelsson A's.  Quite certain Ruff regretted those decisions and could've used better input on that front.

Realize you're talking about Ruff, but there are some guys in that coaching room that don't really get it.  

But directly to the Satan issue, Ruff never pushed to get him off the roster.  Nolan benched him.  Nolan playing Ed Ronan over him was one of several items that Muckler and he did not see eye to eye on.  But a few years later Drury pushed to get Satan off the roster and Regier listened to him and the team went to the Eastern Conference Finals the next 2 years.  (Yes, correlation, not causation; but Ruff apparently didn't see just how much of a negative energy Miro brought to the room.  He didn't get moved out until Drury made a point of it.  Dahlin, Tuch, Thompson, Zucker, and Greenway should all have input (not necessarily have that input followed, but they should have input) into which guys do truly pull their weight and which ones (if any) might be addition by subtraction).

Giving Cozens an A probably hurt him.    I remember when he was younger and when he scored a big goal or made a big hit fans on this board would be calling for him to get a C.  Laughable but true. 

Next year, if Muel is still around he should not wear an A.   

Dahlin, Tuch and Thompson is enough.  

 

[Pimlach]

10 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Serious question:  was hiring a real, experienced NHL GM as a senior adviser KA's idea?  Or did TP give him an ultimatum?

It seems pretty unlikely that it was KA's idea -- when does a GM ever want to bring in a guy to look over his shoulder, especially when the GM has overseen a crappy team for years and the new guy is an obviously strong candidate to replace him?

If that's right, and it was done at TP's instruction, it at least shows that TP's Sabres heart is still beating.

Interesting questions Rico.  

My guess is that some serious self actualization has taken place by both TP and Adams.   Maybe having Ruff in the group for the past season has brought something out in these two guys?  

We know that TP likes and trusts Adams.   TP could have finally been convinced that Adams needs help and the Sabres are one of the few team without Sr Exec/Advisors types in their FO.  

My guess is that Adams has told Pegula what help he needs to perform better and Pegula is now listening.  Adams hired Staal for the more entry level work, and he hired Jarmo for the more strategic work.  Adams has a prior relationship with Jarmo and they like each other.   Jarmo will be reporting to Adams, so I believe that Adams had to be involved in the hiring.   

Lets face it Adams struggles with the hands-on part of the GM job, like making serious hockey trades.  We know that Adams went after Chychrun, Pesce and Neces in the past - all are damn good players too.  He just could not get it done.   Maybe Jarmo can?  

So my guess is that Adams wants the help, got the ok from TP, and he went out and found some people that will work for him and help him.  

I am also guessing that if this fails its Adams last hurrah and he is gone after that, and TP at least gets a quick look at Jarmo for a replacement.  But if they are  successful there is room to make Adams POHO and Jarmo GM and everyone gets a nice pay raise. 

Ruff is the wildcard that I guess could have an ear of the big boss.  If he is thought of as just a hockey coach we will find out soon enough, but I guess he will have a second chapter with the Sabres in the FO.  

This is just my guess, it aligns with how I run things and how I advise clients.  

So Terry, if you really like Adams that much get the guy some help.  

 

 

 

[Taro T]

32 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Giving Cozens an A probably hurt him.    I remember when he was younger and when he scored a big goal or made a big hit fans on this board would be calling for him to get a C.  Laughable but true. 

Next year, if Muel is still around he should not wear an A.   

Dahlin, Tuch and Thompson is enough.  

 

Expect you are correct about that.  He seems earnest.  But if spitting the bit when signing a big contract and spitting the bit when getting a letter says he doesn't yet know HOW to be a consumate pro.  

Buffalo clearly wasn't where he was going to figure that out.  Not sure that Otterland will be significantly better for him trying to figure it out either.  Expect he needs to land on a veteran laden team that he can actually learn that portion of the game from.

If he ends up in a location less disliked personally than Otterland will wish him well and hope he figures it out.  As long as he's there, am perfectly fine with him continuing to struggle.  

[Taro T]

47 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Serious question:  was hiring a real, experienced NHL GM as a senior adviser KA's idea?  Or did TP give him an ultimatum?

It seems pretty unlikely that it was KA's idea -- when does a GM ever want to bring in a guy to look over his shoulder, especially when the GM has overseen a crappy team for years and the new guy is an obviously strong candidate to replace him?

If that's right, and it was done at TP's instruction, it at least shows that TP's Sabres heart is still beating.

No data.  But one thing to keep in mind is that Adams says he talks with Beane fairly frequently and we know Pegula talks to him as well.  And there's now Guelli overseeing the business side of both teams; he might've had a small role in it as well.  (Because let's face it, HIS Sabres job becomes MUCH easier if the team doesn't #### dead donkey #####.)

Beane tends to have a LOT of experienced guys working for him.  If he actually likes Adams (no idea if he does or doesn't), he might've suggested to him that the smartest bosses don't work in a vacuum and getting input from people well outside the normal circle he relies on could be extremely beneficial.  And having an outside voice with relationships that Kevyn doesn't have (from a cursory glance, the 2 don't seem to have much overlap in their past key coworkers list) could be a huge benefit in an organization as insular as the NHL seems to be.

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Interesting questions Rico.  

My guess is that some serious self actualization has taken place by both TP and Adams.   Maybe having Ruff in the group for the past season has brought something out in these two guys?  

We know that TP likes and trusts Adams.   TP could have finally been convinced that Adams needs help and the Sabres are one of the few team without Sr Exec/Advisors types in their FO.  

My guess is that Adams has told Pegula what help he needs to perform better and Pegula is now listening.  Adams hired Staal for the more entry level work, and he hired Jarmo for the more strategic work.  Adams has a prior relationship with Jarmo and they like each other.   Jarmo will be reporting to Adams, so I believe that Adams had to be involved in the hiring.   

Lets face it Adams struggles with the hands-on part of the GM job, like making serious hockey trades.  We know that Adams went after Chychrun, Pesce and Neces in the past - all are damn good players too.  He just could not get it done.   Maybe Jarmo can?  

So my guess is that Adams wants the help, got the ok from TP, and he went out and found some people that will work for him and help him.  

I am also guessing that if this fails its Adams last hurrah and he is gone after that, and TP at least gets a quick look at Jarmo for a replacement.  But if they are  successful there is room to make Adams POHO and Jarmo GM and everyone gets a nice pay raise. 

Ruff is the wildcard that I guess could have an ear of the big boss.  If he is thought of as just a hockey coach we will find out soon enough, but I guess he will have a second chapter with the Sabres in the FO.  

This is just my guess, it aligns with how I run things and how I advise clients.  

So Terry, if you really like Adams that much get the guy some help.  

 

 

 

As stated above, no idea who's idea it was to get Adams the help.  Honestly, hope it was Adams (the one who professes he consistently is looking for ways to improve what he does and who professes he tries to have honest conversations (and if you can't have an honest conversation with yourself, you can't truly have one with anybody else) who realized what HE needed help with and went out and got it (hopefully he chose right in finding advisors to help and also hopefully they're still looking to shake more things up; but will expect them when we see them (or at a minimum @Brawndo tells us they're in the works)).

As for Ruff, yeah, expect that the plan for him is still the same as it seems when he took the 2 year deal to come to Buffalo.  If things work this year, he becomes an advisor to new PoHO Adams and if things don't work this year, he becomes PoHO.  Can't see him simply retiring after this season nor him heading to some other organization next year.

[HumanSlinky39]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Giving Cozens an A probably hurt him.    I remember when he was younger and when he scored a big goal or made a big hit fans on this board would be calling for him to get a C.  Laughable but true. 

Next year, if Muel is still around he should not wear an A.   

Dahlin, Tuch and Thompson is enough.  

 

Give Muel's to Zucker.

[Taro T]

41 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

Give Muel's to Zucker.

Just cut it back to just Dahlin, Tuch, and Thompson.  My 2 cents.  YMMV.

[JohnC]

58 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

Give Muel's to Zucker.

It would probably be beneficial for Sammy not to wear the C. It would take some responsibilities away from him and allow him just to play and not worry about anything else. And to be blunt he hasn’t earned the letter.

[Thorny]

4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well that's true and we see on ice performance but you have to be inside to see attitude and work habits and desire to win, how coachable they are and how receptive they are to learning and adapting. Many personality quirks and nuances. 

The thing you'd have to ask yourself though is if it took Lindy 6 months wtf are these entrenched assistants doing? Shouldn't they have been able to tell him Day 1 who was who or what? and shouldn't they have already told Adams? 

My standing issue (and I know I am not alone on this) is when they decided to hire Lindy, if it truly meant a changing of anything and turning any sort of power over to Lindy why oh why did they not clear out all the assistants and let Lindy hire his own? That would have been real change. As is, hiring Lindy really just feels like a marketing move to sell tickets on hope of a return to the Lindy era of old. 

I agree. The lack of pulse Adams has had on his own roster every year has been shocking 

It’s like no information has been relayed and he hasn’t attempted to glean anything 

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

Serious question:  was hiring a real, experienced NHL GM as a senior adviser KA's idea?  Or did TP give him an ultimatum?

It seems pretty unlikely that it was KA's idea -- when does a GM ever want to bring in a guy to look over his shoulder, especially when the GM has overseen a crappy team for years and the new guy is an obviously strong candidate to replace him?

If that's right, and it was done at TP's instruction, it at least shows that TP's Sabres heart is still beating.

I think the deal was that if Adams can successfully hire his replacement they both stay (Adams “up” to a more behind scenes position, Jarmo to official GM), otherwise there’s a total shitcanning at end of year 

[shrader]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Agree.   They can call Jarmo a "Senior Advisor" to the GM, but he is an NHL GM,  and he wants another shot.  He is both more proven and more qualified, than LaFontaine/Murray,  Boterill, and Adams were when they given their shots. 

Pegula hired experience and energy with this guy.   I wish him the best.  We really need someone to save the day.  

 

 

I really thought they were going to focus on that “senior” side a bit more and go with an older advisor trying to step back a bit. Scotty Bowman did that a bit once he finally stopped GMing. Granted, a lot of that was for his son. 
 

But that’s pretty clearly not what this is. At 58, he’s only 8 years older than Adams. This is a guy who should have a good number of miles left on those tires. I’d love to be a fly on that wall and hear some of these discussions. 

[Thorny]

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

Speaking of misperceptions, here's an interesting one about Kevyn Adams:

He's creeping into the top half in terms of the most experienced GMs in the league.

• Ken Holland 28 years (hired with 37 years experience as a senior executive, played 4 NHL games)
• * Doug Armstrong 21 years (hired with 17 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Don Waddell 17 years (hired with 24 years experience as a senior executive, played 1 game in the NHL)
• Steve Yzerman 14 years (hired with 13 years experience as a senior executive, played 1514 games in the NHL)
• Stan Bowman 14 years (hired with 17 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Kevin Cheveldayoff 14 years (hired with 2 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Jim Nill 12 years (hired with 19 years experience as a senior executive, played 524 games in the NHL)
• Brad Treliving 11 years (hired with 17 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Don Sweeney 10 years (hired with 11 years experience as a senior executive, played 1115 games in the NHL)
• * Julien Brisebois 8 years (hired with 14 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Kyle Dubas 7 years (hired with 9 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Kelly McCrimmon 6 years (hired with 3 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Bill Guerin 6 years (hired with 4 years experience as a senior executive, played 1263 games in the NHL))
• Bill Zito 5 years (hired with 7 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Tom Fitzgerald 5 years (hired with 13 years experience as a senior executive, played 1097 games in the NHL)
• Bill Armstrong 5 years (hired with 10 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Kevyn Adams 5 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 540 games in the NHL)
• * Chris Drury 4 years (hired with 5 years experience as a senior executive, played 892 games in the NHL)
• Pat Verbeek 3 1/2 years (hired with 10 years experience as a senior executive, played 1424 games in the NHL)
• Patrik Allvin 3 1/2 years (hired with 4 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Kyle Davidson 3 1/2 years (hired with 2 1/2 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Kent Hughes 3 1/2 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Chris McFarland 3 years, (hired with 21 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Jason Botterill 3 years (hired with 19 years experience as a senior executive, played 88 games in the NHL)
• Mike Grier 3 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 1060 games in the NHL)
• * Danny Briere 2 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 973 games in the NHL)
• * Craig Conroy 2 years (hired with 9 years experience as a senior executive, played 1009 games in the NHL)
• * Barry Trotz 2 years (hired with 1 year experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL but coached 23 years)
• * Steve Staios 2 years (hired with no experience as a senior executive, played 1001 games in the NHL)
• * Eric Tulsky 1 year (hired with 7 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• * Chris Patrick 1 year (hired with 9 years experience as a senior executive, did not play in the NHL)
• Matthieu Darche no experience (hired with 7 years experience as a senior executive, played 250 games in the NHL)
• * internal hires

Adams’ goal is clearly to lose more nhl games in the nhl as a GM than he suited up for as a player 

The idea of Adams as an NHLer at this point is like trying to envision a stupid Albert Einstein: very unnatural 

[Big Guava]

A feisty Finn in the building?? I like it...I like it a lot...

 

[Slack_in_MA]

7 hours ago, LTS said:

And that's okay. One of the big problems with today's instant connection society is that we are flooded with information. Information that we feel we have to fully digest and response to in an instant less it be shoved aside by the next bit of information that has to be processed.

Society wants it's information reported, analyzed, and resolved in 5 minutes or less.

It's okay to take the "wait and see" attitude.  The very nature of news like this is, "we'll have to wait and see". 

Similarly, so many things in society seem to drive us to make binary choices— this or that, this candidate or that one, is this good or bad, etc. I’m continually reminding myself that I don’t have to have an opinion on everything.

[nfreeman]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

I think the deal was that if Adams can successfully hire his replacement they both stay (Adams “up” to a more behind scenes position, Jarmo to official GM), otherwise there’s a total shitcanning at end of year 

Interesting, and very plausible.  Not sure that JK would perish in the Red Wedding, being an experienced and presumably leaguewide-respected GM who was very recently brought in -- I'd guess he'd probably just replace KA or, possibly with Lindy, advise TP on choosing a new GM.